You And I We're Gonna Live Forever

Excuse my fat foot.. This was a couple of days after it was done so was pretty swollen!

I got my tattoo, woo! I was so excited to get it done, I've wanted to get for 3 years so I knew it was something that I wouldn't regret. This post is just going to be a breakdown of the meaning and the actual process of getting the tattoo done. Enjoy!

Meaning
This tattoo is personal and close to my heart - I chose a feather to symbolise the angel feathers which are said to be seen after someone dies. My uncle died almost four years ago and I knew I wanted to get something to represent him, as he was honestly the nicest man you could ever meet. We were very close, and I trusted and adored him more than my dad if I'm honest. He was only 31 so the thought of losing him had entered no one's head. He loved music, Oasis and The Beatles being his two favourites, but he could appreciate all types of music and respected anyone who could sing or play an instrument.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to get a lyric to represent him, but in the end I couldn't pick one that didn't sound too cheesy, and so the feather was definitely the best option.

Process
I asked my uncle's close friend if he wanted to do the tattoo, as I knew it would mean a lot to him, and it also made it more personal for me rather than having a stranger who didn't know him do it.
I showed him a picture of a similar feather, although he changed it slightly as he didn't want to so an exact copy of someone else's work. He drew two marks on my foot - the start and the end points - and then did the tattoo freehand, with the exception of a few areas which he drew guidelines to make sure it was even.
It took an hour and a half, because there is no shading at all on this tattoo, it is made up of hundreds of lines but I feel that this means that it looks a lot more realistic than a simple outline and shading. I did bleed a little after about an hour, but that's nothing to worry about!
After this he put on a layer of Bepanthen, and then wrapped it in cling film to stop any dirt getting into it and to ensure it wasn't irritated by my shoes (I was wearing vans.. should have probably worn dolly shoes..)
I'm really pleased with how he did it, it was hygienically done and I can't fault it at all.

After Care
After a couple of hours I removed the cling film and let the air get to it. My foot had swollen quite a bit and to walking was uncomfortable for the first 2-3 days, but it wasn't anything to cry about. Each person I speak to about tattoo after care seems to have done something different, but for me it was simple. I cleaned it with water (no soap) every morning and every night, each time followed by a thin layer of Bepanthen for two weeks. It has healed really well and I would recommend this method to anyone who was wondering about tattoo after care, although of course listen to what the artist says as after all, it's their job!

Pain
Because it's on my foot, and everyone who I had spoken to about it said that the foot is one of the sorest places to get tattooed, I was pretty anxious. However when I was in getting ready to have it done, I wasn't nervous at all and the excitement of finally getting the tattoo took over. I have a high pain threshold, but even if I didn't I don't think that it would be too bad. I would say that this tattoo was a 8/10, it was sore yes, but it was a bearable pain that after a while just got to the stage where it was annoying and I waned it to stop because it was getting on my nerves rather than because it was painful. 
I've heard that the outline is the worst part, and the shading is much less painful however I don't know if this is true as my tattoo has no shading.

All in all I'm SO pleased with it, it's exactly what I wanted and I'm now looking at what I want to get next.. I've got a few ideas which may be appearing on me in the future! I think that if you want to get a tattoo and are worried about the pain, then don't be! Yes it hurts but it stops immediately and it's so worth it when it's healed and looking sweeeeet! Seriously though don't let the thought of the pain put you off if it's something that you want to do!

Have you got a tattoo? How did you find the experience?
Are any of you thinking of getting a tattoo?

Evie x

Pastels and Brights

Coral and Tangerine have shown as quite similar in these photos, in actual fact Coral is a lot more pinky, and Tangerine is a true bright orange!

Lemon Ice Cream is a lot paler in real life than it looks above, sorry for the misleading photo!

It's that time of year when we like to revamp our nails. Winter's darker shades take a back seat and leave it to Summer's brights to bring the party! I've written before that Barry M is my favourite brand of 'affordable' nail polish because, despite the long-ish drying time, the range of colours is amazing - 69 shades! Without counting I'd say I have around 20 Barry M polishes, and can't recommend them enough! With a wide range of both pastel and bright colours, Barry M have done really well to include shades that will appeal to everyone. I have chosen a selection of seven colours that I will be wearing this summer and taking away with me next month!

It seems like some people have had trouble trying to find Peach Melba, with many outlets being sold out. As you can see from my usage, I bought this shade a while ago (I want to say last year?) so thankfully I didn't have that problem.

Of course there are many more summer colours to choose from, and I seriously recommend you get your mitts on some if you haven't already because with the weather we're having at the moment any attempt to brighten it up is welcome. (And necessary!) I can see myself going crazy and wearing all the pastel shades at once, one on each nail along with Eyeko's Rain Polish - a pastel blue! 

What colours are you wearing on your nails at the moment? Are you more of a bright or pastel kinda gal?

Evie x

Wishlist #1 - Summer Holiday

1. Benefit Sun Beam - I need to get me some of this! Recently I've been hearing so much about this highlighter - whether it be on Blogger, YouTube or Twitter - and it's all been good. It looks like the perfect highlighter for when my skin has a tan, and I'm seriously tempted to buy it before I go on holiday next month!
2. Essie, Sand Tropez - This has to be the most perfect colour ever. Again, I'm tempted to buy this simply because it will accentuate a tan! So pretty and summery!
3. Topshop Libertine Wedges -  I've been looking for a pair of wedges like this for a while. I love the heel, it's kind of a heel/wedge hybrid, quirky and interesting! I think they would look amazing with highwaisted floral shorts and a loose white vest!
4. MAC Blossom Culture Lipstick - Part of the Perennial Pinks collection, this is my favoured colour of the two Sheen Supreme Lipsticks. MAC describe it as a 'soft pink with pearl' and I think it's such a beautiful colour.
5. River Island Yellow Digital Print Maxi Skirt - This is such a fun vibrant piece that would look gorgeous paired with a white vest and gold jewellery. I'm also after a black maxi skirt but this is definitely on my wishlist for this holiday! I'm just a bit worried that such a bold print might swamp my 5'1 frame, although that wont stop me trying it on!

What does your wishlist currently consist of? Any items similar to mine? Are you going away this summer?

Evie x

Fake vs. Real MAC Lipsticks

MAC is one of those brands whose products you treasure like they were your children, and get butterflies of excitement when swatching and buying new items to add to your collection, for me anyway! Recently, one of my friends bought what she thought was a MAC Viva Glam Gaga lipstick from eBay, something which I would never recommend. She was so looking forward to it arriving, however as soon as she opened the package she could see that it was not what she'd hoped she would receive. Fake makeup is all over eBay, so this post is basically going to give you NUMBER basic point to let you know if you've bought a fake MAC lipstick. To demonstrate the differences I have used a fake Viva Glam Gaga and a real Angel lipstick.

Firstly, the sticker on the bottom is completely different. As you can see, the real lipstick on the right clearly displays the name and finish, (Angel, frost) whereas the fake fails to give a name at all! The text around the edge of the sticker is correct, however it is written in a different font which is much harder to read, and is missing the recycling symbol. Schoolboy errors.

Clearly whoever manufactures these fake lipsticks has spent 2 minutes when designing the outer packaging! This is completely different to the real box. First of all the fake lipstick came in a box that was a different shape to the real lipstick. Secondly, the text isn't even close to being correct. The exact same sticker that was seen on the bottom on the tube has been stuck (squint) on the end of the box. It just screams that it's not real! 

The quality of the tube is shocking. The twist mechanism can be easily taken apart from the bottom of the tube, which is obviously something that a legit MAC lipstick would never do. The lipstick feels lighter than the real one, and the actual product inside just seems too plastic-y to be real.

Talking of the lazy packaging errors, the size of the lipstick is different too! I'm no fake lipstick manufacturer, but it seems that a quick measure of a real product wouldn't go a miss when designing the fake packaging, no? As you can clearly see in the above picture, the imposter on the left is taller than the real product on the right. Also, the fake packaging is a lot thinner and feels like it could easily snap with enough pressure.

The colour of the packaging is different. The real packaging (top) is much more black, whereas the fake is more of a dark grey. Also, the fake packaging fails to feature the 'e' symbol, which means that the quantity stated on the packaging is correct according to EU standards - pretty important!

Also, the smell is vastly different. As most of you know, MAC lipsticks have a gorgeous cakey/vanilla scent, something which has not been transferred into the production of the fake lipstick. It smells like paint. Acrylic, and very unpleasant it makes you wonder what the ingredients are of this imposter product. 

I am in no way an expert on this topic, however I thought this might be a helpful post and if it helps one person avoid wasting money on a fake product, then I'll be happy!

Have you ever bought a fake cosmetic item? Do you have any other tips on how to spot a fake product?

Evie x

Weekly Round-Up - 1

I'm totally cheating with this picture, it was taken ages ago but I really wanted to get this post done and today is very much an off day... I have orange hair because I was trying out the hairspray for Wednesday, I'm going to school dressed as Ginger Spice because it will be the last day ever! So exciting!
This week has been a real mix - I only went to school one day because it's so close to exams and I prefer to revise at home, I get so much more done because I just can't concentrate at school, I always end up talking/going for food/doing anything but revision, and find it easier (although not easy!) to revise at home.
Saturday went so quickly! Got up and did an hour of revision, then went to town to get the orange hairspray for Wednesday! Although because my hair is almost black it takes a LOT to show up, I ended up having to buy £7 worth.. It will be so worth it though, Wednesday will be such a laugh! Then I went home and did another hour or so of revision (which is very unlike me, especially on a weekend! Impressive!) before my friend came and picked me up to see The Avengers! Oh.My.God. It's so good! You need to see it! I absolutely love Chris Evans and RDJ (only in Iron Man, haha) so both of them together was like my dream film! AND I hear that there's an Iron Man 3 and Captain America 2 coming out in 2013/14 so that's exciting!
Today has been a day of revision. I have a test after school tomorrow so I was reading and making essay notes for that, and doing business management past papers too. So much fun, I love revision... Although my day has just gotten a thousand times brighter because Clueless is on now! It's like, totally one of my favourite films! Way fabulous!;)

NOTD - Tangerine Fatal

Seeing as the weather has been so rubbish recently, I thought I'd paint my nails a colour which is definitely spring/summer. Typical Brit moaning about the weather, haha! I love this colour - tangerine fatal by Bourjois. It's a gorgeous bright orange, but it's not too bright, if that makes sense? It's definitely a stand out colour, but at the same time it's quite subtle. Oh god that's the worst explanation ever! Okay.. It's a sort of a bright pastel orange, but in some lights it seems like a soft neon. Wow, I'll just stop now. The picture was taken in natural light and so gives a pretty true representation of the colour, so you can decide for yourselves what kind of orange this is!;)
As for application and drying, I can't fault this polish. The brush is sized really nicely and so is easy to apply without having to worry about it getting around the edge of your nail, and drying time is around a couple of minutes - which for someone like me, who normally has to wait around 5-10 minutes for Barry M nail paints to dry fully, is perfect! (Not that I'm dissing you Baz!) The only gripe I have with this is that it's very sheer. I applied two coats, as I normally do with any coloured polish, however the whites of some nails are still visible so I had to add another coat.  Not a huge problem, but something worth addressing!
These polishes retail for £5.99 in boots, although I was lucky enough to win this from a competition on Kim's Blog (link). However, something I noticed when researching the price was that the swatch online is completely different to the actual colour of the polish! Boots show it to be a pinky/coral, but it's definitely not, even with my shocking description skills managed to get across the fact that it is very much orange!

Have you tried any Bourjois polishes? What is your favourite nail polish brand?

Evie x

Current Skincare Routine

After a week away up north, eating rubbish and not getting my full 8 hours, my skin pretty much hated me. I set out on a mission to find a skincare routine that would get my skin back to normal sharpish! I have combination skin - it tends to get slightly oily in the centre of my face, and dry across my forehead and around the edge of my face, so I needed something that was going to work well with my skin.

The cleanser I chose was Neutrogena's visibly clear pink grapefruit daily scrub, because I'd heard only good things about it. The exfoliating beads really feel like they are doing something, but are small enough so that you know you're not being too rough on your skin. Not to mention the fact that it smells amazing! I also picked up Neutrogena's visibly clear spot stress control moisturiser. It's quite a weird (but amazing) product. I was expecting a normal moisturiser consistency, however this is more of a gel and so feels extra smooth when applied to the skin! I absolutely love this moisturiser, and the fact that I got it for 5p (there was a 2 for £5 on the visibly clear range in Boots) makes it even better! I'd definitely repurchase this once this tube is finished. Finally, the favourite of them all - Clean and Clear dual action moisturiser. I absolutely love this moisturiser, a little goes such a long way and it leaves my skin feeling so soft and, well, moisturised.

I keep the clean and clear moisturiser on my bedside table, so that as soon as I wake up I can moisturise my face. I use the cleanser each night when I shower, followed by a load of the clean and clear moisturiser. I then dry my hair while that absorbs, and then apply the Neutrogena moisturiser. I'm probably making it a lot more difficult for myself than it needs to be, but I like to have little routines set out in my head and find it really difficult to snap out of them, so it seems like this one will be with me for a while!

Have you tried any of these products? What is your favourite skincare product?

Evie x